Semiconductor apparatus and equipment

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor apparatus comprising a first substrate, a second substrate coupled with the first substrate via an insulating member, a third substrate coupled to the first substrate and disposed on the opposite side to the second substrate and a conductive layer including an electrode disposed between the first and second substrate is provided. A through via is disposed so as to pass through the second substrate and a part of the insulating member to reach the electrode. An opening is arranged overlapping the electrode in the first substrate and a part of the insulating member. First and second resin layers are disposed between the electrode and the third substrate, and the first resin layer is disposed within the opening, is disposed between the electrode and the second resin layer and has a different Young&#39;s modulus from the second resin layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor apparatus and anequipment.

Description of the Related Art

A through via is a known semiconductor apparatus mounting technology.Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-61000 describes a solid-state imagecapturing element comprising a through via that, when a semiconductorsubstrate and a support substrate are attached, passes through thesupport substrate and reaches an input and output pad arranged in aperipheral circuit region of the semiconductor substrate. Also, JapanesePatent Laid-Open No. 2018-61000 describes prior to forming a throughvia, forming, on a side of a semiconductor substrate of an input andoutput pad, a through-hole for performing an inspection such as aperipheral circuit operation confirmation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a case where a through-hole is formed on a side of a semiconductorsubstrate of an input and output pad, when a through via is also formed,the support of the input and output pad is weakened, and therefore thereis the possibility of a break/damage between an interlayer insulationlayer and the input and output pad or to the input and output pad itselfdue to a stress or the like. In a case of a break/damage between aninterlayer insulation layer and an input and output pad or to the inputand output pad itself, reliability suffers.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a technique thatadvantageously improves a reliability of a semiconductor apparatuscomprising a plurality of substrates and a through via.

According to some embodiments, a semiconductor apparatus, comprising: afirst substrate; an insulating member; a second substrate coupled withthe first substrate via the insulating member; a third substrate coupledto the first substrate, the first substrate being disposed between thesecond substrate and the third substrate; and a conductive layerdisposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, whereinthe insulating member comprises a first insulating layer positionedbetween the conductive layer and the first substrate, and comprises asecond insulating layer positioned between the conductive layer and thesecond substrate, the conductive layer comprises an electrode pad, athrough via is disposed so as to pass through the second substrate andthe second insulating layer to reach the electrode pad, an opening isarranged at a position overlapping the electrode pad, and is arranged inthe first substrate and the first insulating layer, and between theelectrode pad and the third substrate, a first resin layer and a secondresin layer are disposed, and the first resin layer is disposed withinthe opening, is disposed between the electrode pad and the second resinlayer, and has a different Young's modulus from the second resin layer,is provided.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of asemiconductor apparatus in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variation of thesemiconductor apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variation of thesemiconductor apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variation of thesemiconductor apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A to 5H are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the semiconductor apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an example of a configuration of anequipment in which the semiconductor apparatus in the present embodimentis embedded.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views illustrating an example of a configuration ofan equipment in which the semiconductor apparatus in the presentembodiment is provided.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intendedto limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features aredescribed in the embodiments, but limitation is not made an inventionthat requires all such features, and multiple such features may becombined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the samereference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, andredundant description thereof is omitted.

With reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7B, a structure of a semiconductorapparatus according to the present embodiment and method ofmanufacturing the same will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectionalview illustrating an example of a configuration of a semiconductorapparatus 10 in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the semiconductor apparatus 10 includes asubstrate 23, a substrate 25 coupled to the substrate 23 via aninsulating member 24, and a substrate 40 coupled with the substrate 23.As illustrated in FIG. 1, the substrate 23 is disposed between thesubstrate 25 and the substrate 40.

The substrate 23 is a semiconductor substrate made of silicon or thelike, for example. In the present embodiment, on a side of a surface 23a of the substrate 23, a plurality of semiconductor elements 15 aredisposed (In FIG. 1, only one semiconductor element 15 is illustrated).Also, in the present embodiment, on the substrate 23, a photoelectricconversion element PD such as a PN diode is disposed. That is, it canalso be said that the plurality of semiconductor elements 15 include aphotoelectric conversion element PD. Also, the plurality of thesemiconductor elements 15 may include various elements such as atransistor for transferring a signal into which light is converted by aphotoelectric conversion element PD.

In the present specification, description is given using a photoelectricconversion apparatus in which a photoelectric conversion element PD isdisposed as an example of the semiconductor apparatus 10. Also, thesemiconductor apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is a so-calledback-illuminated type photoelectric conversion apparatus. However, thesemiconductor apparatus 10 is not limited to this. For example, thesemiconductor apparatus 10 may be a front-illuminated type photoelectricconversion apparatus. In such a case, the semiconductor element 15 maybe disposed on a side of a surface 23 b of the substrate 23. Also, thepresent embodiment is not limited to a photoelectric conversionapparatus, and may be applied to various semiconductor apparatuses suchas a processor or a memory, for example, in which a substrate isattached, and a later-described through via 11 is disposed.

The insulating member 24 includes an insulating layer 20 positionedbetween a conductive layer 26 and the substrate 23 and an insulatinglayer 22 positioned between the conductive layer 26 and the substrate25. The insulating layer 20 is disposed on the surface 23 a of thesubstrate 23. Also, the insulating layer 22 is disposed on a surface 25a of the substrate 25. Also, the insulating member 24 includes aninsulating layer 21 disposed between the insulating layer 20 and theinsulating layer 22. The insulating layer 21 may be, for example, anadhesive agent or the like for coupling the substrate 23 and thesubstrate 25. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, the insulatinglayer 21 is positioned between the conductive layer 26, which includesan electrode pad PAD, and the substrate 25.

A material such as silicon oxide may be used for the insulating layer20. Also, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or thelike is used for the insulating layer 20. Also, a combination of thesematerials may be used for the insulating layer 20. For example, siliconoxide may be used mainly and silicon carbide and silicon nitride may beused ancillarily as the insulating layer 20.

The conductive layer 26 is disposed between the substrate 23 and thesubstrate 25. The conductive layer 26 includes the electrode pad PAD anda wiring pattern. The insulating layer 20 of the insulating member 24may function as an interlayer insulation layer or the like between asemiconductor element 15 disposed in the substrate 23 and the conductivelayer 26. Various conductive materials such as aluminum, titanium,tantalum, tungsten, or copper may be used for the conductive layer 26.Also, in the periphery of the conductive layer 26, an anti-diffusionlayer, for preventing the foregoing metal or the like from diffusinginto the insulating layer 20, may be disposed. In the configurationillustrated in FIG. 1, the conductive layer 26 is illustrated as onlyone layer, but the conductive layer 26 may be a multi-layered wiringstructure disposed over a plurality of layers. The conductive layer 26may be connected electrically with the semiconductor element 15including the photoelectric conversion element PD. The combination ofthe substrate 23, on which the semiconductor element 15 including thephotoelectric conversion element PD is disposed, and the insulatinglayer 20 including the conductive layer 26 on the substrate 23 may alsobe referred to as a sensor substrate 71.

Between the surface 23 b of the substrate 23 and the substrate 40, acolor filter CF and a microlens ML for improving a rate of focus on thephotoelectric conversion element PD are disposed. The color filter CFand the photoelectric conversion element PD, as illustrated in FIG. 1,may be disposed between the surface 23 b of the substrate 23 and a resinmember 32 (a resin layer 31) so as to each correspond to thephotoelectric conversion element PD.

An opening 73 is arranged at a position overlapping the electrode padPAD in the substrate 23 and the insulating layer 20. In the opening 73,the resin member 32 including a resin layer 30 and the resin layer 31 isfilled. The resin member 32 filled into the opening 73 will be describedlater.

The substrate 25 is a semiconductor substrate made of silicon or thelike, for example. However, limitation is not made to this, and variousmaterials may be used if the substrate can form the through via 11. Thesubstrate 25 or the combination of the substrate 25 and the insulatinglayer 20 may be referred to as a support substrate 72. As describedabove, the insulating layer 21, which may be an adhesive agent, isdisposed between the insulating layer 20 and the insulating layer 22.Accordingly, it can be said the insulating layer 21 is coupled with thesensor substrate 71 and the support substrate 72.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a via that reaches the electrode pad PADthrough the substrate 25 and the insulating layer 22 is arranged and thethrough via 11 that reaches the electrode pad PAD is disposed on thevia. More specifically, an insulating member 60 is disposed the sidewall of the via and on a surface 25 b of the substrate 25, and aconductive pattern 14 on the surface 25 b of the substrate 25 and thethrough via 11 are respectively formed on the inside of the via by aconductor being formed on the insulating member 60. The insulatingmember 60 may cover the entirety of the surface 25 b of the substrate 25other than the part at which the via is disposed. Between the throughvia 11 and the conductive pattern 14 and the insulating member 60, asillustrated in FIG. 1, a seed layer 13 that functions as a barrier metaland a seed metal is disposed. On the insulating member 60 and theconductive pattern 14, a protective film 80 is disposed so as to coverthe surface 25 b of the substrate 25.

Next, the resin member 32 will be described. The resin member 32includes the resin layer 30 which is arranged in the opening 73 arrangedat the substrate 23 and the insulating layer 20 and the resin layer 31.The resin layer 30 is disposed between the electrode pad PAD and theresin layer 31. In the present embodiment, the resin layer 30 contactsthe electrode pad PAD, and the resin layer 31 does not contact theelectrode pad PAD. The resin layer 31, as illustrated in FIG. 1, coversthe electrode pad PAD via the resin layer 30. Also, the resin layer 30,as illustrated in FIG. 1, may cover all of the parts of the electrodepad PAD exposed in the opening 73. Also, in the present embodiment, theresin layer 31 contacts the surface facing the substrate 23 in thesubstrate 40 which includes a light transmissive plate, and functions asa coupling layer that couples the substrate 23 and the substrate 40. Insuch a case, the resin layer 31 may be referred to as an adhesive layer.For example, the resin layer 31 may contact a part of the substrate 40that faces the electrode pad PAD, the microlens ML, the color filter CF,or the photoelectric conversion element PD. However, there is nolimitation to this, and a layer such as a resin layer other than theresin layer 31 may be disposed between the resin layer 31 and thesubstrate 40 so as to couple the substrate 23 and the substrate 40.

Also, in the present embodiment, the resin layer 30 has a higher Young'smodulus than the resin layer 31. In other words, it can be said that theresin layer 30 is more rigid than the resin layer 31. The Young'smodulus of the resin layer 30 may be 10 times or more the Young'smodulus of the resin layer 31. Also, the Young's modulus of the resinlayer 31 may be 1 GPa or more and 2 GPa or less. Accordingly, theYoung's modulus of the resin layer 30 may be 10 GPa or more and may be20 GPa or more.

The plurality of resin layers with different Young's moduli (the resinlayers 30 and 31 in the present embodiment) are disposed in the opening73 which opens up to the electrode pad PAD. Thereby, when forming thethrough via 11, the support rigidity for supporting the electrode padPAD can be enhanced by the resin layer 30 whose Young's modulus is high,and thereby stability of the manufacturing process can be improved andthe yield rate can be increased. Also, stress on the insulating layer 21due to expansion and contraction of the metal in the through via 11 dueto environmental factors such as the temperature in the usageenvironment of the semiconductor apparatus 10 can be dispersed to theresin layer 31 and alleviated by the resin layer 31 whose Young'smodulus is lower than the resin layer 30 being disposed. Thereby, it ispossible to improve the reliability of the completed semiconductorapparatus 10. By using the configuration illustrated FIG. 1, it becomespossible to improve the reliability during manufacture andpost-manufacture in the semiconductor apparatus 10 in which a pluralityof substrates are attached, and the through via 11 is disposed. Notethat the higher/lower Young's modulus relationship between the resinlayers 30 and 31 may be the opposite, and the positions of the resinlayers 30 and 31 may be the opposite. The reliability of thesemiconductor apparatus 10 is similarly improved in such a case comparedto when only one of the resin layer with the higher Young's modulus andthe resin layer with the lower Young's modulus is used.

In the present embodiment, in the opening 73, two resin layers (theresin layer 30 and the resin layer 31) are disposed, but there is nolimitation to this, and three or more layers may be disposed. Also, aninorganic layer that acts as an antireflection film may be disposed in aregion in which the photoelectric conversion element PD is disposedbetween the resin layer 30 and the resin layer 31, for example.

Next, using FIG. 2, a variation of the semiconductor apparatus 10 willbe described. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, the resinlayer 30 is filled into a space within the opening 73 to a predeterminedheight from the electrode pad PAD. Also, on the resin layer 30, theresin layer 31 covers a part in the side surface of the opening 73without intervention of the resin layer 30. Meanwhile, in theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 2, the resin layer 30 continuouslycovers the bottom surface of the opening 73 at which the electrode padPAD is exposed, the side surfaces of the opening 73, and the surface 23b of the substrate 23 facing the substrate 40. The resin layer 30 maycover the entirety of the surface 23 b of the substrate 23. Also, theresin layer 31 covers the bottom surface and the side surface of theopening 73 via the resin layer 30.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, the microlens ML is disposedbetween the surface 23 b of the substrate 23 and the resin member 32(the resin layer 30). In other words, the resin layer 31 covers themicrolens ML. The refractive index of the resin layer 30 may be lowerthan the refractive index of the microlens ML. By making the refractiveindex of the resin layer 30 lower than the microlens ML, it is possibleto increase the rate of focus on the photoelectric conversion element PDdisposed in the substrate 23. For example, the refractive index of theresin layer 30 may be 1.25 or less and the refractive index of themicrolens ML 1.5 or more. Thereby, the rate of focus on thephotoelectric conversion element PD is increased.

Even in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, the resin layer 30 andthe resin layer 31 whose Young's modulus is lower than the resin layer30 are disposed in the opening 73 arranged at a position overlapping thesubstrate 23 and the electrode pad PAD of the insulating layer 20.Accordingly, similarly to the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, when thethrough via 11 is formed, it becomes possible to enhance the supportingrigidity for support of the electrode pad PAD by the resin layer 30whose Young's modulus is high. Also, by the resin layer 31, whoseYoung's modulus is lower than the resin layer 30, being disposed, itbecomes possible for the stress on the insulating layer 21 due toexpansion and contraction of the metal of the through via 11 to bedispersed to the resin layer 31 and alleviated. Thereby, it becomespossible to enhance the reliability during manufacture andpost-manufacture in the semiconductor apparatus 10 in which thesubstrate is attached and the through via 11 is disposed. Also, theresin layer 30 is arranged on the microlens ML and the refractive indexof the resin layer 30 is made to be lower than the refractive index ofthe microlens ML. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the rate offocus on the photoelectric conversion element PD over the configurationillustrated in FIG. 1.

Using FIG. 3, another variation of the semiconductor apparatus 10 willbe described. The configuration of a support substrate 74 differs fromthe support substrate 72 illustrated in FIG. 1 in the semiconductorapparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 3. More specifically, a plurality of asemiconductor element 28 which is a transistor or the like are disposedon the surface 25 a of the substrate 25 in the support substrate 74.Also, a conductive layer 27 which is electrically connected to thesemiconductor element 28 is disposed on the insulating layer 22 in thesupport substrate 74. Accordingly, the insulating layer 22 may functionas an interlayer insulation layer or the like between the semiconductorelement 28 disposed on the substrate 25 and a conductive layer 27. Also,the conductive layer 27 includes the electrode pad PAD which iselectrically connected via the through via 11 to the conductive pattern14 which is disposed on the surface 25 b of the substrate 25. Also, inthe configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, the insulating layer 21 ispositioned between the conductive layer 27 including the electrode padPAD and the substrate 23. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3,the conductive layer 27 is illustrated as only one layer, but theconductive layer 27 may be a multi-layered wiring structure arrangedacross a plurality of layers. A similar material to the above-describedsubstrate 23 may be used for the substrate 25. Also, a similar materialand structure to the above-described conductive layer 26 may be used forthe conductive layer 27.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, the opening 73 is arrangedat a position overlapping the electrode pad PAD in the substrate 23 andthe insulating layer 20, and the resin layer 30 and the resin layer 31whose Young's modulus is lower than the resin layer 30 are arranged inthe opening 73. Accordingly, similarly to the structure illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, when forming the through via 11, it is possible toimprove support rigidity of the support of the electrode pad PAD by theresin layer 30 with the high Young's modulus. Also, by the resin layer31, whose Young's modulus is lower than the resin layer 30, beingdisposed, it becomes possible for the stress on the insulating layer 21due to expansion and contraction of the metal of the through via 11 tobe dispersed to the resin layer 31 and alleviated. Thereby, it becomespossible to enhance the reliability during manufacture andpost-manufacture in the semiconductor apparatus 10 in which thesubstrate is attached and the through via 11 is disposed. Also, by theconductive layer 27 which is a wiring pattern or the like being disposedin the support substrate 74, it is possible to improve a degree offreedom in designing the conductive layer 26 of the sensor substrate 71.

Using FIG. 4, another variation of the semiconductor apparatus 10 willbe described. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4, the supportsubstrate 74 is being used as a substrate for supporting the sensorsubstrate 71, similarly to in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3.Also, similarly to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, the resinlayer 30 continuously covers the surface of the opening 73 and thesurface 23 b of the substrate 23.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4, the opening 73 is arrangedat a position overlapping the electrode pad PAD in the substrate 23 andthe insulating layer 20, and the resin layer 30 and the resin layer 31whose Young's modulus is lower than the resin layer 30 are arranged inthe opening 73. Accordingly, similarly to the structure illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3, when forming the through via 11, it is possible to improvesupport rigidity of the support of the electrode pad PAD by the resinlayer 30 with the high Young's modulus. Also, by the resin layer 31,whose Young's modulus is lower than the resin layer 30, being disposed,it becomes possible for stress on the insulating layer 21 due toexpansion and contraction of the metal of the through via 11 to bedispersed to the resin layer 31 and alleviated. Thereby, it becomespossible to enhance the reliability during manufacture andpost-manufacture in the semiconductor apparatus 10 in which thesubstrate is attached and the through via 11 is disposed. Also, by theconductive layer 27 being disposed in the support substrate 74, it ispossible to improve a degree of freedom in designing the conductivelayer 26 of the sensor substrate 71. Also, the resin layer 30 isarranged on the microlens ML and the refractive index of the resin layer30 is made to be lower than the refractive index of the microlens ML.Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the rate of focus on thephotoelectric conversion element PD over the configuration illustratedin FIG. 3.

Next, using FIGS. 5A to 5H, a method of manufacturing the semiconductorapparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described. FIGS. 5A to 5Hare schematic sectional views for describing each step in manufacturingthe semiconductor apparatus 10. In manufacturing the semiconductorapparatus 10, a publicly known semiconductor manufacturing process maybe used. Also, while description is omitted here, heat processing,cleaning process, and the like may be performed as necessary between therespective steps illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5H.

In the step illustrated in FIG. 5A, the sensor substrate 71 whichincludes the substrate 23 and the insulating layer 20 is formed. First,a plurality of the semiconductor element 15 including the photoelectricconversion element PD, a transistor, or the like are formed on thesubstrate 23. Next, the conductive layer 26 including the electrode padPAD is formed on the surface 23 a of the substrate 23, and theinsulating layer 20 is disposed between the conductive layer 26 and thesubstrate 23. In the substrate 23, an element separation region such asan STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) may be formed, and each of thesemiconductor element 15 such as the photoelectric conversion element PDor the like may be electrically isolated from other elements by theelement separation region. After that, ion injection and heat processingis performed as necessary in order to form a well or form a photodiode,and the substrate 23, in which are formed the plurality of thesemiconductor element 15 including the photoelectric conversion elementPD, is formed. Further, on the surface 23 a of the substrate 23, theinsulating layer 20 and the conductive layer 26 including the electrodepad PAD and the wiring pattern are formed. Also, an electricallyconductive member (not shown) such as a contact for electricallyconnecting between the conductive layer 26 and the semiconductor element15 such as the photoelectric conversion element PD is formed within theinsulating layer 20. Silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride,or the like is used as the insulating layer 20.

In the present embodiment, as one part of the insulating layer 20, aBPSG (Boron Phosphorus Silicon Glass) film was first formed by asub-atmospheric pressure CVD method. Though not shown graphically forsimplicity of the figure, a contact plug in which a conductive materialsuch as tungsten is embedded is formed within the insulating layer 20(BPSG film). Next, in a conductive layer 26 including an electrode PADand a wiring pattern within the insulating layer 20 (BPSG film), aconductive material such as Al, for example, was deposited by asputtering method, and the layer was formed by patterning by dryetching. Above the wiring pattern and the electrode pad PAD, a siliconoxide film was formed once again by a plasma CVD method as one part ofthe insulating layer 20. After that, smoothing of the top surface of theinsulating layer 20 was performed through a step using CMP (ChemicalMechanical Polishing) or the like.

Next, in a step illustrated in FIG. 5B, the substrate 25 (the supportsubstrate 72) comprising the smooth insulating layer 22 on the side ofthe surface 25 a facing the substrate 23 and the sensor substrate 71 areattached. As described above, the sensor substrate 71 and the supportsubstrate 72 are coupled by an insulating layer 21 such as an adhesiveagent disposed between the insulating layer 20 and the insulating layer22. In the description using FIGS. 5A to 5H, a method for manufacturinga semiconductor apparatus 10 is described with the semiconductorapparatus 10 comprising the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1described above is given as an example, but a support substrate 74 asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be used at that time as a supportsubstrate. In such a case, the electrode pad PAD may be arranged on theconductive layer 27 on the support substrate 74 rather than the sensorsubstrate 71. Accordingly, when forming the through-hole 12 in which thethrough via 11 described later using FIG. 5E is disposed, the amount ofthe component of the insulating member 24 to be etched is reduced, andit is possible to simplify the etching of the through-hole 12.

After the substrate 23 (the sensor substrate 71) and the substrate 25(the support substrate 72) are attached, in the step illustrated in FIG.5C, first, by a back grinding process or CMP processing of the side ofthe surface 23 b of the substrate 23, the thickness of the substrate 23is reduced to about the thickness of the photoelectric conversionelement PD by thinning. After that, cleaning or the like is performed,and the color filter CF and the microlens ML are formed at a positioncorresponding to each photoelectric conversion element PD of the surface23 b of the substrate 23. Also, at a position overlapping the electrodepad PAD, the opening 73, which opens through the substrate 23 and theinsulating layer 20 and to the electrode pad PAD of the conductive layer26, is formed. By causing the electrode pad PAD to be exposed, it ispossible to cause a probe to contact the electrode pad PAD, and performa characteristics inspection of the photoelectric conversion element PDor the like formed on the sensor substrate 71.

Next, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5D, the resin member 32 includingthe resin layers 30 and 31 arranged in the opening 73 is formed. Theresin layer 30 can be given a higher Young's modulus (rigidity) than theresin layer 31 by using a resin containing at least one of glass filler,chained silica, hollow silica or the like, for example. In the presentembodiment, an acrylic resin with a Young's modulus enhanced by theabove-described material being caused to be dispersed within the resinis applied on the electrode pad PAD of the opening 73, and thereby theresin layer 30 is formed. At that time, the resin layer 30 may be formedby applying the resin layer 30 to the entire surface 23 b of thesubstrate 23 including the opening 73 and not just the opening 73 inwhich the electrode pad PAD is exposed, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

After having formed the resin layer 30, the resin layer 31 whose Young'smodulus is lower than the resin layer 30 is formed. In the presentembodiment, the resin layer 31, which serves as a coupling layer forcoupling the surface 23 b of the substrate 23 and the substrate 40 whichis a light transmissive plate, is formed by application, for example,and the substrate 40 which is a light transmissive plate is attached ontop of it. After coupling the substrate 23 and the substrate 40 asnecessary, thinning of the substrate 25 may be performed by using backgrinding processing or the like. In the present embodiment, as thesubstrate 40 which is a light transmissive plate, a quartz glass with athickness of 0.5 mm is bonded to a side of the surface 23 b of thesubstrate 23 by the resin layer 31 which functions as a coupling agent(adhesive agent). After the substrate 40 and the substrate 23 arecoupled, the substrate 25 is thinned to a thickness of 0.2 mm by backgrinding processing. In the present embodiment, the quartz glass is usedas the substrate 40, but an appropriate material, such as alkali-freeglass, plastic, or the like, may be used as the substrate 40 inaccordance with conditions necessary for the semiconductor apparatus 10,the photoelectric conversion element PD, or the like.

In the step illustrated in FIG. 5E, the mask pattern 41 is formed on thesurface 25 b on the opposite side of the side of the substrate 23 of thesubstrate 25. Next, etching is performed via the opening of the maskpattern 41 from the side of the surface 25 b of the substrate 25, andthe through-hole 12 which reaches the electrode pad PAD through thesubstrate 25 and the insulating layer 22 is formed.

A photoresist, for example, is used for the mask pattern 41, butconfiguration may be taken for form it out of an inorganic substancesuch as silicon oxide. In the present embodiment, the part formed on thesubstrate 25 in the through-hole 12 is formed by etching the substrate25 in a vertical direction with respect to the surface 25 b of thesubstrate 25 by using a so-called bosch process. Also, part of theinsulating member 24 (the insulating layer 22, the insulating layer 21,the insulating layer 20) of the through-hole 12 is formed by performinganisotropic etching by dry etching (Capacitively-coupled RIE, or thelike, which uses a gas mixture of CF4, C4F8, O2, and Ar), for example.By this, the through-hole 12 is formed, and a side of the substrate 25of the electrode pad PAD is exposed.

After the side of the substrate 25 of the electrode pad PAD is exposed,in the step illustrated in FIG. 5F, the insulating member 60 is formedon the side surfaces of the through-hole 12 and the surface 25 b of thesubstrate 25 which includes an exposed surface of the electrode pad PAD.The insulating member 60 may be formed so as to cover the entirety ofthe surface 25 b of the substrate 25. For the insulating member 60, aninsulating material such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride, siliconcarbide, silicon oxynitride or the like may be used. In the presentembodiment, for the insulating member 60, silicon oxide formed by aplasma CVD method is used. The thickness of the insulating member 60 ismade to be 1.5 μm on the surface 25 b of the substrate 25. After that,by etch back processing, the insulating member 60 on the electrode padPAD is removed by dry etching (Capacitively-coupled RIE, or the like,which uses a gas mixture of CF4, C4F8, O2, and Ar).

In the step for forming this through-hole 12, the resin layer 30 and theresin layer 31 are disposed in the opening 73 on the side opposite tothe through-hole 12 of the electrode pad PAD. By the resin layer 30 withthe high Young's modulus, the supporting rigidity for supporting theelectrode pad PAD during the process for forming the through-hole 12 canbe enhanced, and the stability of the manufacturing process improved,and thereby a yield rate can be improved.

Next, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5G, the seed layer 13 which isused as a barrier metal and a seed metal is formed on the insulatingmember 60 and on the electrode pad PAD by using a sputtering method orthe like. Furthermore, on the seed layer 13, a mask pattern 42 isformed. The mask pattern 42 may be disposed at a position where theconductive pattern 14 is not formed.

The seed layer 13 may be configured from one metal layer or an alloy orthe like, and may be a stacked structure of metal or alloy comprising aplurality or different compositions. In the present embodiment, the seedlayer 13 is assumed to be a stacked structure of titanium (Ti), thebarrier metal, and copper (Cu), the seed metal, formed using asputtering method.

After forming the seed layer 13, the through via 11 disposed within thethrough-hole 12 and the conductive pattern 14 disposed in the surface 25b of the substrate 25 are formed in the step illustrated in FIG. 5H.More specifically, a conductive film is formed by using a metal platingmethod in relation to the surface 25 b of the substrate 25 on which themask pattern 42 is disposed. Next, by removing the mask pattern 42 andremoving, by a wet etching method or the like, the seed layer 13 underthe mask pattern 42 where the conductive film disposed is not formed,the through via 11 and the conductive pattern 14 are formed.

After forming the through via 11 and the conductive pattern 14, a solderresist is applied by a publicly known semiconductor manufacturingprocess, and a protective film 80 provided with an opening in which asolder ball for connecting an external terminal is placed is formed byusing a photolithography method. Furthermore, a solder ball 16 ispositioned in the opening of the protective film 80. After that, a stepof dicing or the like is performed, and the semiconductor apparatus 10having the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

APPLICATION EXAMPLE

Below, as an application example of the semiconductor apparatus 10according to the foregoing embodiment, description will be given for anequipment comprising: the semiconductor apparatus 10 on which thephotoelectric conversion element PD, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 isdisposed, and that functions as a photoelectric conversion apparatus;and a processing apparatus for processing signals outputted from thesemiconductor apparatus 10. Here, an equipment in which thesemiconductor apparatus 10 that functions as the photoelectricconversion apparatus is incorporated as an image capturing apparatuswill be given as an example. The equipment in which the semiconductorapparatus 10 is incorporated as an image capturing apparatus may be, forexample, an electric equipment such as a camera or smartphone. Thecamera conceptually encompasses not only apparatuses whose principalpurpose is image capturing but also apparatuses (for example, a personalcomputer or a mobile terminal such as a tablet) additionally providedwith an image capturing function.

Also, even in a processing apparatus for processing signals outputtedfrom the semiconductor apparatus 10, for example, a substrate isattached, and a through via is provided, and in the case where anopening is provided on the opposite side of the through via of theelectrode pad, there may be a structure of an opening similar to thesemiconductor apparatus 10 described above. That is to say a resin layerhaving a high Young's modulus may be disposed on the side of theelectrode pad of the opening, and a resin layer having a low Young'smodulus may be disposed on top of the resin layer with the high Young'smodulus.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an equipment EQP in which thesemiconductor apparatus 10 which functions as the photoelectricconversion apparatus is provided. An example of the equipment EQP is anelectric equipment (information equipment) such as a camera orsmartphone as described above, an office equipment such as a copyingmachine or scanner, a transportation equipment such as an automobile,airplane, ship, or railroad car, a medical equipment such as anendoscope or a radiation image capturing apparatus, an analysisequipment such as a scanning electron microscope or transmissionelectron microscope, or an industrial equipment such as an industrialrobot.

The equipment EQP, in addition to the above-described semiconductorapparatus 10, in which the photoelectric conversion element PD isarranged in a pixel region 114 disposed in an array, may include apackage PKG that houses the semiconductor apparatus 10. The package PKGcan include a base on which the semiconductor apparatus 10 is fixed, alid made of glass or the like facing the semiconductor apparatus 10, anda connection member such as a bonding wire, a bump, or the like forconnecting a terminal arranged on the base and a terminal (the solderball 16 or the like) arranged on the semiconductor apparatus 10. Theequipment EQP can further include at least one of an optical system OPT,a control apparatus CTRL, a processing apparatus PRCS, a displayapparatus DSPL, and a storage apparatus MMRY. The optical system OPT issomething that forms an image on the pixel region 114 in which thephotoelectric conversion element PD of the semiconductor apparatus 10 isdisposed, and may be a lens, a shutter, and a mirror, for example. Thecontrol apparatus CTRL is something that controls an operation of thesemiconductor apparatus 10, and may be a semiconductor device such as anASIC, for example. The processing apparatus PRCS is something thatprocesses signals outputted from the semiconductor apparatus 10, and asemiconductor device such as a CPU, an ASIC, or the like for configuringand AFE (analog front end) or a DFE (digital front end). The displayapparatus DSPL is an EL display apparatus or a liquid crystal displayapparatus for displaying information (images) obtained by thesemiconductor apparatus 10. The storage apparatus MMRY is a magneticdevice or a semiconductor device for storing information (images)obtained by the semiconductor apparatus 10. The storage apparatus MMRYis a volatile memory such as an SRAM or DRAM or a nonvolatile memorysuch as a flash memory or hard disk drive. The mechanical apparatus MCHNhas a movable portion or a propulsion unit such as a motor, an engine,or the like. The mechanical apparatus MCHN in the camera can drive thecomponents of the optical system OPT in order to perform zooming, anin-focus operation, and a shutter operation. In the equipment EQP, asignal outputted from the semiconductor apparatus 10 is displayed on thedisplay apparatus DSPL, and is transmitted to an external unit by acommunication apparatus (not shown) that the equipment EQP comprises.Therefore, the equipment EQP may further comprise the storage apparatusMMRY or the processing apparatus PRCS in addition to a storage circuitunit or an arithmetic circuit included in a peripheral region 115 suchas a control/signal processing circuit or the like that thesemiconductor apparatus 10 comprises. Also, the above-described throughvia 11 and opening 73 may be disposed in the peripheral region 115 ofthe semiconductor apparatus 10.

It is expected that the above-described equipment will experience largetemperature changes in use in the case where it is used as an onboardcamera of a vehicle, for example. The semiconductor apparatus 10 of thepresent embodiment, by the resin layer 31 with the lower Young's modulusthan the resin layer 30 being disposed therein, is enabled to disperseto the resin layer 31 stress on the insulating layer 21 due to expansionand contraction caused by changes in temperature of the metal of thethrough via 11 or the like and thereby alleviate such stress. That is,it is possible to provide a semiconductor apparatus 10 that is highlyreliable in relation to environmental factors such as temperature in theusage environment of an equipment such as is described above.

A camera in which the semiconductor apparatus 10, which functions as aphotoelectric conversion apparatus is embedded may be applied to amonitoring camera or an onboard camera to be installed on atransportation equipment such as an automobile, an airplane, a ship, arailway car, or the like. An example in which a camera, in which isembedded the semiconductor apparatus 10 which functions as aphotoelectric conversion apparatus in which the photoelectric conversionelement PD is disposed, is applied to a transportation equipment will begiven. The transportation equipment 2100 is, for example, a carcomprising the onboard camera 2101 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. FIG.7A schematically shows the outer appearance and the main internalstructure of the transportation equipment 2100. The transportationequipment 2100 includes a photoelectric conversion apparatus 2102, animage capturing system integrated circuit (ASIC: Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit) 2103, a warning apparatus 2112, and a controlapparatus 2113.

The above-described semiconductor apparatus 10 is used for thephotoelectric conversion apparatus 2102. The warning apparatus 2112warns a driver when it receives an abnormality signal from an imagecapturing system, a vehicle sensor, a control unit, or the like. Thecontrol apparatus 2113 comprehensively controls the operations of theimage capturing system, the vehicle sensor, the control unit, and thelike. Note that the transportation equipment 2100 need not include thecontrol apparatus 2113. In this case, the image capturing system, thevehicle sensor, and the control unit each individually include acommunication interface and transmit/receive control signals via acommunication network (for example, a CAN standard).

FIG. 7B is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of thetransportation equipment 2100. The transportation equipment 2100includes a first photoelectric conversion apparatus 2102 and a secondphotoelectric conversion apparatus 2102. That is, the onboard cameraaccording to this embodiment is a stereo camera. An object image isformed by each optical unit 2114 on each photoelectric conversionapparatus 2102. A pixel signal output from each photoelectric conversionapparatus 2102 is processed by an image pre-processing unit 2115 andtransmitted to the image capturing system integrated circuit 2103. Theimage pre-processing unit 2115 performs processing such as S-Ncalculation and synchronization signal addition.

The image capturing system integrated circuit 2103 comprises an imageprocessor 2104, a memory 2105, an optical distance measurement unit2106, a parallax calculation unit 2107, an object recognition unit 2108,an abnormality detection unit 2109, and an external interface (I/F) unit2116. The image processor 2104 generates an image signal by processingsignals output from the pixel of each photoelectric conversion apparatus2102. The image processor 2104 also performs correction of the imagesignal and interpolation of an abnormal pixel. The memory 2105temporarily holds the image signal. The memory 2105 may also store theposition of a known abnormal pixel in the photoelectric conversionapparatus 2102. The optical distance measurement unit 2106 uses theimage signal to perform focusing or distance measurement of an object.The parallax calculation unit 2107 performs object collation (stereomatching) of a parallax image. The object recognition unit 2108 analyzesthe image signal to recognize objects such as a transportationequipment, a person, a road sign, and a road. The abnormality detectionunit 2109 detects the fault or an error operation of the photoelectricconversion apparatus 2102. When a fault or an error operation isdetected, the abnormality detection unit 2109 transmits a signalindicating the detection of an abnormality to the control apparatus2113. The external I/F unit 2116 mediates exchange of informationbetween the units of the image capturing system integrated circuit 2103and the control apparatus 2113 or the various kinds of control units.

The transportation equipment 2100 includes the vehicle informationacquisition unit 2110 and the driving support unit 2111. The vehicleinformation acquisition unit 2110 includes vehicle sensors such as aspeed/acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a steering anglesensor, a ranging radar, and a pressure sensor.

The driving support unit 2111 includes a collision determination unit.Based on the pieces of information from the optical distance measurementunit 2106, the parallax calculation unit 2107, and the objectrecognition unit 2108, the collision determination unit determineswhether there is the possibility of a collision with an object. Theoptical distance measurement unit 2106 and the parallax calculation unit2107 are examples of distance information acquisition units that acquiredistance information of a target object. That is, distance informationincludes pieces of information concerning the parallax, the defocusamount, the distance to the target object, and the like. The collisiondetermination unit may use one of these pieces of distance informationto determine the possibility of a collision. Each distance informationacquisition unit may be implemented by specially designed hardware or asoftware module.

An example in which the driving support unit 2111 controls thetransportation equipment 2100 so not to collide with another object wasgiven, but it is also possible to apply the invention to control forautomated driving in which another vehicle is being followed or controlfor automated driving in which going out of a traffic lane is beingavoided, or the like.

The transportation equipment 2100 further comprises a drive apparatusused for movement of support thereof of an air bag, an accelerator, abrake, a steering wheel, a transmission, an engine, a motor, a wheel, apropeller or the like. The transportation equipment 2100 also includescontrol units for these apparatuses. Each control unit controls acorresponding drive apparatus based on a control signal of the controlapparatus 2113.

The semiconductor apparatus 10 functions as a photoelectric conversionapparatus of the present embodiment, and can be widely applied totransportation equipment such as, in addition to automobiles, ships,airplanes, railway cars or the like, as well as industrial equipmentsuch as industrial robots. In addition, the semiconductor apparatus 10is applicable not only to transportation equipment but also broadly toequipment that use object recognition, such as various equipmentmentioned above or an ITS (Intelligent Transportation System). Also, theconfiguration of the resin layer in the opening 73 of the semiconductorapparatus 10 may be applied to another semiconductor apparatus such as aprocessor, a memory, or the like, in addition to photoelectricconversion apparatuses.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2019-146826, filed Aug. 8, 2019 which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor apparatus, comprising: a firstsubstrate; an insulating member; a second substrate coupled with thefirst substrate via the insulating member; a third substrate coupled tothe first substrate, the first substrate being disposed between thesecond substrate and the third substrate; and a conductive layerdisposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, whereinthe insulating member comprises a first insulating layer positionedbetween the conductive layer and the first substrate, and comprises asecond insulating layer positioned between the conductive layer and thesecond substrate, the conductive layer comprises an electrode pad, athrough via is disposed so as to pass through the second substrate andthe second insulating layer to reach the electrode pad, an opening isarranged at a position overlapping the electrode pad, and is arranged inthe first substrate and the first insulating layer, and between theelectrode pad and the third substrate, a first resin layer and a secondresin layer are disposed, and the first resin layer is disposed withinthe opening, is disposed between the electrode pad and the second resinlayer, and has a different Young's modulus from the second resin layer.2. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Young'smodulus of the first resin layer is higher than the Young's modulus ofthe second resin layer.
 3. The semiconductor apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the Young's modulus of the first resin layer is 10times or more higher than the Young's modulus of the second resin layer.4. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Young'smodulus of the second resin layer is 1 GPa or more and 2 GPa or less. 5.The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the secondresin layer is disposed within the opening.
 6. The semiconductorapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second resin layer covers aportion of a side surface of the opening without intervention of thefirst resin layer.
 7. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the first resin layer continuously covers a bottom surface ofthe opening, a side surface of the opening, and a surface facing thethird substrate in the first substrate.
 8. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein a microlens is disposed between the firstsubstrate and the third substrate.
 9. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein the first resin layer covers themicrolens, and a refractive index of the first resin layer is lower thana refractive index of the microlens.
 10. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the second resin layer contacts the thirdsubstrate.
 11. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe insulating member includes a third insulating layer disposed betweenthe first insulating layer and the second insulating layer, and thethird insulating layer is positioned between the conductive layer andthe second substrate.
 12. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim1, wherein the insulating member includes a third insulating layerdisposed between the first insulating layer and the second insulatinglayer, and the third insulating layer is positioned between theconductive layer and the first substrate.
 13. The semiconductorapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second resin layer is not incontact with the electrode pad.
 14. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first resin layer contains at leastone of glass filler, chained silica, or hollow silica.
 15. Thesemiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thirdsubstrate is a light transmissive plate.
 16. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein on a side of the second substrate of thefirst substrate, a plurality of semiconductor elements are disposed. 17.The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the pluralityof semiconductor elements comprises a photoelectric conversion element.18. The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the firstresin layer and the second resin layer extend between the firstsubstrate and the third substrate.
 19. The semiconductor apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the second resin layer is disposed in theopening, and the Young's modulus of the first resin layer is higher thanthe Young's modulus of the second resin layer.
 20. An equipment,comprising: the semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1; and aprocessing apparatus configured to process a signal outputted from thesemiconductor apparatus.